ETNA GREEN – Two Rochester men were seriously injured this morning after their vehicle slid off an ice-covered Kosciusko County road and into a tree. According to a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department release, KCSD deputies and emergency personnel responded to a vehicular crash this morning on Ind. 19, near the intersection of Ind. 10, at approximately 5:27 a.m. Upon arrival, responders located two individuals seriously injured after their vehicle struck a tree. The driver, identified as Kylee J. Fenstermaker, 28, Rochester, was located outside the vehicle with an open evisceration to his face. The passenger, identified as Justin Beck, 30, Rochester, was extricated from the vehicle and flown by Parkview Samaritan to a South Bend hospital in serious condition with head and internal injuries. Fenstermaker advised officers that he was northbound on Ind. 19 when he lost control of his vehicle due to the weather, eventually sliding off the east side of the roadway and striking a tree. Fenstermaker was later transported to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, in serious condition. KCSD deputies stated that the crash is still under investigation at this time. KCSD was assisted at the scene by Mentone Fire Department, Etna Green Fire Department, Mentone EMS and Multi-Township EMS.
